Tearful Andreescu misses title on her 24th birthday at Libema Open

Bianca Andreescu experienced her best week on the Tour in the past two years by reaching the final of the Libema Open s' Hertogensboch. The former US Open champion fell in three sets to Russia's Liudmila Samsonova (6-4, 3-6, 5-7) and could not celebrate her 24th birthday with a title.

The Canadian tennis player is playing only her second tournament of the year after a long break due to a back injury. Andreescu has dealt with constant injuries throughout her career and was forced to take a long pause after the Canadian Open back in August 2023.

Heartbreak on her birthday

After almost 10 months, she returned two weeks ago with a good performance at the French Open, reaching the third round with victories over Sara Sorribes Tormo and the 23rd seed Anna Kalinskaya, before falling in three sets to the eventual finalist Jasmine Paolini.

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Andreescu quickly began the grass-swing in 's Hertogenbosch and with great courage, began to quickly regain lost ground in the rankings. A couple of weeks ago, she dropped to world No. 234, but her performances at Roland Garros and now at the Libema Open have allowed her to climb to No. 163 quickly.

Thanks to a wildcard, she secured a spot in the main draw of the Libema Open, showing great performance despite the long absence from the Tour. Andreescu debuted with a win over Eva Vedder by 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and then defeated the 6th seed Yue Yuan by 6-4, 6-4.

Andreescu at 2023 Roland Garros.

In the quarterfinals, the challenge was greater against the 4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. In a tight match, Andreescu emerged victorious in the third set tie-break by 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3) and advanced to the semifinals where she had no trouble against Dalma Galfi (6-4, 6-2). This Sunday, June 16, on her 24th birthday, Andreescu couldn't overcome Samsonova and couldn't secure the title.

The disappointment for Andreescu was evident during the award ceremony, where she thanked her team and couldn't hold back the tears while speaking: “Thank you to my team. JT, thank you for being there for me. Thank you to my parents. Everyone at home… Sorry guys, my fitness trainer, mental coach, hypnotherapist… it works guys, trust me. Thank you to my friends. My entire family… in Romania as well,” she said.

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Video: Bianca Andreescu rules against Osaka and scores with an insane running backhand